If Pacquiao wins, get ready for Pacquiao versus Hatton in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.
When they announce the outcome of Saturday night's fight at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, no matter whose name is called, the winner will be Hatton. "I guess we might all be finding ourselves in Hatton Wonderland pretty soon," said Richard Schaefer, chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions and partner of the company president, De La Hoya.
There had been talk of De La Hoya retiring after Saturday's fight, but that seems increasingly unlikely, especially if he wins. So when Schaefer waxes eloquently over the quality and quantity of Hatton fans and says things such as, "Oscar and Hatton in Wembley Stadium, 100,000 fans, maybe break an attendance record -- now that would be a mega event," you know it's more than daydreaming.
Bob Arum, another huge player in the sport and Pacquiao's promoter at Top Rank, sees the next big thing differently.
"You can't do Wembley," he said. "That makes absolutely no sense.
"I just got back from Dubai. It's like Fantasyland. Huge, new, spectacular buildings everywhere.
"Think of Pacquiao-Hatton. There is a large Filipino population in Dubai, and the biggest tourism comes from England. Because I'm Pacquiao's promoter, I got recognized as much there as Michael Jordan would in the States."
So, apparently, what happens in Las Vegas won't be staying there after Saturday.
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